Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery [MBBS] From JIPMER, Pondicherry

Here are a few pros and cons of pursuing MBBS from JIPMER

Pros-

• You will meet some highly experienced doctors who will be your professors too. You will be amazed by their nature, their dealing with patience, and their motivating nature. You will start respecting them from the bottom of your hearts.
• You will be given the opportunity to take part in different procedures in neonatal resuscitation or the Pediatrics department. The residents are very helpful given that you are keen to learn.
• Pondicherry is a safe place for both boys and girls. You will experience a unique kind of freedom here. Girls stay out till 9-9:30 pm alone and dont face any issues at all.
• Pondicherry is a clean and pollution-free city that offers fresh breathable air.
• You will be away from the hustle and bustle of city life and get to experience a slow life. You get a lot of time to ponder upon the challenges life throws at you.

Cons

• North Indians might face language issues to a certain extent.
• Pondicherry does not have online delivery services like Swiggy, Big Basket, and Food Panda. 
• There isn't any decent shopping place here. There is only Pothys which is only known for sarees and suits.
• There is no good bookstore near the campus for fictional books.

Overall, studying at JIPMER is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that shouldn't be underestimated at any cost. 

The life of an MBBS student at JIPMER is quiet and tiring. Yet, they get to learn and experience new things every day. Their daily schedule looks like this 

• 8 am to 11 am: Lectures
• 11 am to 1 pm: Anatomy dissection hours
• 1 pm to 2 pm: Lunch break
• 2 pm to 4:30 pm: Practicals

In the evening some prefer playing basketball, football, hockey, table tennis, and badminton while others order just napping or hitting the gym. Some music lovers go to the band room to play out various symphonies and musicals. A few artist students spend their time participating or practicing for fine arts competitions.

September brings in a huge crowd of students from different colleges attending Spandan. It’s a 7 day intercollegiate cultural literary and sports extravaganza that makes the monotonous life of JIPMER students a bit vibrant.

October witnesses the Jipmer premier league ied teams of girls and boys. There is also Curie Day which is the annual girls' hostel day celebration. The hostel is open for boys as well and girls perform dance and sing. After all this enjoyment, the exams begin and students are reminded of their primary goal. 

January is usually spent at home. In February, students go to Pune for the fest at AFMC -‘Silhouettes’. March brings in the tension of the annual university examinations and everybody can be seen surrounded by books. The seniors organize a wonderful Holi celebration- a cultural night followed by gulaal in the morning to ensure that students don’t succumb to the stress. With this the most happening year, the first year comes to an end. 

The subsequent years bring in additional tasks such as Research projects, voluntary teaching, quizzing, etc. 

A close friend of mine shared a few pictures of her hostel room at JIPMER. This is Curie 1 and the little garden attached to it. My friend enjoyed staying at Curie 1 more than Curie 2 because the life here was more vibrant. 

The view from her balcony shows PG men's hostel and the two basketball courts in between

The room with the green curtain belonged to my friend and the first door towards the right is the washroom for the set of rooms that are in the corridor

This is the wash area with provision for drying clothes

This is what her room in Curie 1 looked like as a whole.

The rooms in Curie 2 are much bigger. 

I hope the pictures helped you get a clear idea of the girls' hostel facilities at JIPMER. 

Honestly, the South Indian food served in Pondicherry cannot be tolerated by North Indians for long because they are not used to the spices and the tamarind. But the bright side is, that Pondicherry has some amazing places serving North Indian and continental food. 

I don't think food is a major obstacle for a North Indian MBBS student at JIPMER. Here is what the food at Pondicherry looks like. 

The above pic shows scrumptious Bread and Chocolate, Auroville. The restaurants in Pondicherry are amazing so food should be your last concern here.

As a North Indian, my friend faced some major language issues, especially at the time of applying for ward leave. Her worst experience was the RHC posting during her internship. She had to interact with people in rural areas who spoke a more complex version of the language.

Overall, North Indians might miss their food and interact with their locals but not regret choosing JIPMER despite that!